Your case will land in one of three Bellingham courts.
Where a Whatcom County case gets filed shapes everything about how it proceeds — the judges, the prosecutors across the aisle, the pace, and the realistic outcomes:
- Whatcom County Superior Court — felonies and the county's most serious matters, at the county courthouse on Grand Avenue downtown.
- Whatcom County District Court — misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors charged by the county: DUI, fourth-degree assault, DV designations, and more.
- Bellingham Municipal Court — misdemeanors filed by the City of Bellingham itself, with the city attorney's office prosecuting.
Same charge, different courtroom, genuinely different case. A DUI filed by the city and one filed by the county can follow different rhythms, different negotiation cultures, and different calendars. I appear in all three regularly — I know each room's rhythm, and I build the defense to fit the forum, not a generic playbook.
What I defend in Whatcom County.
Everything on this site, right here in Bellingham: DUI — including the 7-day license deadline that starts at arrest. Assault charges from bar-district scuffles to strike-level felonies. Domestic violence allegations and the no-contact orders that upend homes overnight. Sex offense allegations, handled with complete discretion — often before charges are ever filed. Serious felonies prepared for trial from day one. And record clearing for the conviction that's followed you long enough.
A college town's cases deserve special care.
Bellingham is a university town, and a meaningful share of its criminal cases involve students — MIP, DUI, fake ID, assault after a party, dorm-adjacent drug allegations. Two things every student and every parent calling from out of town should understand:
- A "minor" charge is not minor at 19. A conviction follows a student into background checks for internships, licensure, graduate school, and first jobs — for decades. The goal in a student case is almost always an outcome that keeps the record clean, and those outcomes exist for those who fight for them.
- The university may run its own parallel process. Student-conduct proceedings have different rules, different standards, and different stakes than criminal court — and what a student says in one can surface in the other. Coordinating both tracks is part of the job.
Parents: if you're reading this from somewhere else while your kid is here — call me. That call is exactly what I'm for.
Local familiarity is not a slogan. It's leverage.
Every courthouse has its own culture: how its judges run their calendars, what its prosecutors' office prioritizes, which resolutions are realistic and which are fantasy. Twenty-five years in Northwest Washington courts — on both sides — means I don't spend the first month of your case learning the terrain. I know what a strong suppression motion looks like to this bench, what the charging deputies in this county look for, and where the honest opportunities are. Out-of-area counsel can read the statutes; they can't read the room.
Bellingham questions I hear most.
Which court will my case be in?
Felonies go to Superior Court. Misdemeanors depend on who filed: city police cases often go to Municipal Court, county-filed cases to District Court. Your paperwork says which — and if you're not sure, read me the caption over the phone and I'll tell you in ten seconds, along with what it means for your case.
Do you meet clients in Bellingham?
Yes — I serve all of Whatcom County and appear in Bellingham's courts regularly. Consultations can happen by phone, by video, or in person around your court dates, whichever serves you. The first conversation is free and confidential either way.
My student got arrested at WWU and I live hours away. What do I do first?
Call me before your student talks to anyone — police or university investigators. I'll find out what's actually pending, take over communications, and manage both the criminal case and any student-conduct process. Distance matters less than speed; most of what I do in the first week happens by phone regardless of where you are.
I was arrested for DUI in Bellingham last night. What's urgent?
The 7-day clock to request your Department of Licensing hearing — it runs from the arrest date whether or not you've seen a courtroom. That, and staying quiet about the details with everyone but your lawyer. Start with my DUI page, then call.
This page is general information, not legal advice about your case. Court assignments and procedures described are current as of September 2026 and can vary by case.